Washing machine



J1me 1929- A. w. ALTORFER WASHING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1927 Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALIPHEUS 'w. ALTORFER, or PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'ro ALronrER BROS. com- PANY, or EAST PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A GORPORATIONOF ILLINOIS.

WASHING MACHINE. I

Application filed March 25, 1927. Serial No. 178,181.

This invention has reference to newand useful improvements in washing machines and it has for its principal object to improve the tub and agitator or dolly structure car- 'ried thereby; whereby, the washing fluid is and thereby a more effective circulation of the water through the materials brought about; the oscillation of the agitator and retardation of the materials causing the latter to float or move upwardly and radially of said tub.

To facilitate in the carrying out of the above object I construct the wall of the tub with a plurality of obstructions, each at predetermined points and extending inwardly,

and in the provisionof an oscillatory agitator having circumferentially spaced wings, vanes or ribs disposed radially thereof; the positioning of said obstructions in their relation to the oscillation of said wings, vanes or ribs on the agitator restricting the easy and normal circumferential movement of the materials to be washed, at these points, or in other words retarding their movement, but

accelerating the circulation of the water through such materials. Such materials therefore will float or move upwardly and due to the action of said wings, vanes or ribs will cause the same to move inwardly and thence outwardly or in radial directions,

quickly and eifectively cleansing the materials. v

The invention has for a further object to improve the bottom structure of the tub and in the manner of mounting the agitator thereon to prevent materials moving there under'during the-agitation of the water and the cleansing of the materials: also in an improved manner of draining thetub, 4 That the invention maybe more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the description, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which 0 Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a washing tub embodying my invention, the agitator being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in vertical section, including the agitator and as the same would appear on the line 2-2 Fig. 1

1g. 3 1s an enlarged sectional detail of the coactmg portions of the tub. bottom and agltator which prevent materials moving under the agitator, and I Fig. 4 is a sectional detail in perspective is th; same would appear on the line '4-4 Like characters of reference denote correspondmg parts throughout the figures.

The drawing shows in plan and in side elevation, partly in section, a washing tuh'for a washmg machine constructed in accordance With my invention, and which I have elected to show such tub as approximately square in outline and of suitable depth, it is to be understood that the vertical wall portion of said tub may present a circular appearance or other shape, as may be desired. Also,

while I have elected to show said tub made preferably of sheet metal, it may be made of whatever material is best suited for the purpose in a washing machine.

The outer vertical wall 1 of the tub stands perpendicular for the greater portion of its helght and is curved inwardly and down- Wardly, as at 2, terminating in a bottom wall portion 3 formed or provided with the rather large axially disposed annular shaped opening 4. Next adjacent the wall or edge forming the opening 4, the bottom 3 lies substantially fiat, providing in effect a fiat ring like port-ion 5. This ring or flat portion terminates in the off-set or shouldered and upwardly and outwardly inclined portion 6, and from thence to the point where the bot tom 3 and the vertical wall meet in the curved portion 2, said bottom 3 slopes upwardly and outwardly to provide, what may be described as the'inclined shelf 7 of said-bottom. At

the juncture of said shelf portion 7 and the curved portion 2, the bottom is formed or provided with an annular depending groove or seat 8. Water within the tub circulates in the groove 8 and throughradially arranged troughs 9, see Figs. 1 and 4 and over the ring I like portion 5 and into the opening 42in said bottom.

Underlying the bottom 1 and secured thereto and covering the opening41s a plate10,w1th

a water seal 11 interposed between said plate andbottom, see Fig. 2. Such plate has a discharge outlet 12, see Fig. 1, which is adapted to communicate with and discharge into any ing suitable valved connection or coupling, not shown. The upper edge of the wall 1 is provided with the strengthening rib or flange 13.

The plate 10 has an axial opening there'- through through which upstands a sleeve like stem 14, flanged, as at 15 and between said flange and plate 10 a water seal is provided. The stem is secured in position by the nut 17 secured thereon and bears against the underside of the plate '10, see Fig. 2. Operatwitliin said stem and adapted for connection, in a manner not shown, with the upper end of a sleeve 18 of an agitator 19, is the shaft 20, which is operated from below the tub by a source of power,'not shown.

The agitator 19 includes an annular plate like base formed or provided with a central vertical hub 21 connected in any suitable manner with its sleeve 18, the latter with said hub, and therefore the agitator revolving on the flange 15 of said stem 14. Such an arrangement positions the underside base above the plane of the tub bottom provided by the annular groove or seat 8 in said .tub bottom and the'outer or peripheral edge of the agitator is formed or provided with a depending annular flange 22 adapted to be seated and revolved Within the said groove or seat 8 and thereby, clothes and other materials being agitated within the tub cannot enter or wedge between the bottom of the agitator and the bottom wall of the tub and the tearing or damaging of the materials obviated. The outer face of the flange 22 and-the upper surface of the base of the agitator merge into each other by an upwardly inclined surface 23, see the dotted-lines in 'Fig. 3, which aids in the easy movement of materials over the base of the agitator during the radial and whirllike circulation of the materials,.as a resu of the agitation produced by the rotation of the agitator.

The agitator is provided with two or more radial wings, vanes or ribs 24 which extend between the hub 21 thereof and its peripheral edge, with the outer wall portion of said wings, vanes or ribs rlsing preferably verti-' the agitation of cally for a predetermined distance, as at 25, then curved upwardly and inwardly, as at 26 and then sloping inwardlyfand downwardly, as at27. and thence upwardly and inwardly, as at 28 to unite with the hub 21. This formation of the wings, tor is alternately rotated, will impart through the water circumferential movement in opposite direction to the materials, with the materials moving or floating inwardly and upwards andradi ally of the tub.

' The surface. formation of the wall of the retarding such movement. However,

rather than vanes or ribs facilitating,

such

' wings,

of the agitator;

vanes or ribs, as theag1taated' by the peculiar construction given to the side wall 1 of the tub, as I shall explain.

The wall 1 of the tub at predetermined points is formed or provided with interiorly disposed obstruct-ions 29, preferably arcuate in shape and merging in an easy slope into the wall. So constructed, the path of circulation of the water therebetween and the agitator is somewhat restricted, so that the velocity .of

the water at such points is somewhat acceler 1 ated or increased, while at the same time the I movement of the materials is retarded in their circumferential movement about the axis of the agitator and thereby a more effective circulation of the water through the materials brought about; the oscillation'of the agitator and retardation of the materials causing the latter to float or move upwardly and radially of the tub. In the present instance the obstructions are preferably provided by forming concave depressions in the tub wall, the convex portions lying within the tub, see'Fig. 1. Also I prefer that the wall of such concave depressions shall slope or incline upwardly from their lower to their upper ends, see Fig. 2. Furthermore if the wall of the tub is rec tan-gular in outline, with four sides, as shown in Fig. 1 a depression may be disposed mediate thereof, or if desired at a point to one side of a line passing transversely through the" tub, as shown atthe right in Fig. 1-. Such an arrangement will permit of ing an additional purpose, such as a seat for a machine element, not shown, which it may be desirable to position closer than heretofore to the axis of the tub. I have in mind the attachment of a centrifugal drier or extractor also positioning such an element closer to onev side of the machine than, the other, which makes for a more convenient handling of. a washing operation. However, it is not to be inferred that the other depression may not be so used, as they may, even thoughlocated more centra1ly.

What I claim is.:--

1. A tub for a washing machine arranged for the support of an agitator therein and having its wall provided with a plurality of arcuately shaped. bstructions lying within the interior of the tub for the retardation of articles being washed, the wall forming such I obstructions being and with one of'such obstructions offset from the depression serv-"' machine havmg a line passing transversely through the axis of the tub.

4. A tub for a washing machine having its bottom wall provided with a shallow annular water conducting groove and protecting guard for an agitator and with the bottom between such groove and its axial portion sloping downwardly and inwardly and provided with radially arranged water conducting troughs in communication with said groove.

5. In combination, a tub having a bottom provided with a shallow annular water conducting groove and protecting guard for an agitator and with radially arranged water conductingtroughs in communication with said groove, and an agitator revolubly sup-.

ported in said tub with its bottom normally positioned in a horizontal plane above said groove and with a sloping and downwardly projecting annular flange at its periphery revoluble in said groove.

6. In a washing machine, a tub having a bottom and side walls merging thereinto in a gradual curved portion, said bottom having an annular depressed portion forming a shallow water conducting groove at substantially the points of juncture of the curved portion, and an agitator having an annular depending edge which is rotatably received in said groove and which edge projects below the upper face of the bottom on the exterior of the groove.

7. In a washing machine, a tub having a bottom formed with an annular shallow'depressed water conducting groove, and an agitator having an annular peripheral portion formed with a depending free edge which extends into the groove and below the adjacent portion of the upper face of the bottom on the exterior of the groove.

8. In aUwashing machine, a tub having a bottom formed with an annular water conducting groove which extendsbelow the adjacent upper face of the bottom on the side of the bottom exterior of the groove, and an agitator having an annular peripheral portion formed with a depending free edge which extends into said groove, said tub having a side wall which gradually curves toward and merges into the outer side of the groove, said free edge of the agitator'extending below the lowest point of said curve of theside wall.v

9. In a device of the class described, comprising a'tub having side walls and a substantially flat bottom portion, a circular de pressed. ring in said tub, a vertically disposed drive shaft, a water impeller comprising a disk member, said disk member being disposed adjacent the bottom of the tub and having its periphery downturned in a manner to lie within the circular depressed ring in such manner that the edge of the disk is lowered to a point substantially adjacent the bottom of the tub, water agitating means on said disk and a driving connection between said water impeller and said drive shaft.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand this 14th day of March, 1927.

ALPHEUS W. ALTORFER. 

